


Taking A Step Back

by Josh89



Series: Mini-Castles [12]
Category: Castle (TV 2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cute, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Nicknames, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, Pregnancy, Taking Time Off, Unplanned Pregnancy, couple nicknames
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21839086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh89/pseuds/Josh89
Summary: Kate decides that she needs to talk to Gates about reducing her hours for a while during her pregnancy.
Relationships: Kate Beckett/Richard Castle
Series: Mini-Castles [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562563
Kudos: 9





	Taking A Step Back

“Sir, do you have a moment?”  
Captain Gates looked up from the papers on her desk, smiling at the detective who stood at the door to her office. “Of course I do, Detective. What can I do for you?”  
Kate sank down into the chair across from the older woman, one hand subconsciously shifting to rest on her stomach (something which did not go unnoticed by Captain Gates). “I never thought I’d actually be saying this voluntarily, but here goes… I’ve been thinking about taking a step back from cases for the rest of my pregnancy, and also taking maternity leave for at least the next three months after”.  
Intrigued, Gates set her pen down and folded her arms, leaning slightly towards the detective so that Kate had her full attention. “Oh?”  
“I was lucky during the Ariana Stanford case. Ryan and Esposito had my back, and Rick… Castle… was there. I almost put my unborn child’s life, sir, I wouldn’t be able to justify doing that again even if I wanted to” Kate explained quietly.  
Her boss nodded. “I can see your point. Alright, I think I have a solution that both of us will like. But first, I have one question for you”.  
“Yes, sir?”  
“You’re approximately four months into your pregnancy, right?”  
Kate did some quick mental calculations. She was three weeks pregnant when she made the decision to return to New York permanently, just under two months pregnant when she and Rick got married. They’d been married for a little under two months, so that made sense. “That’s correct, sir. Four months in three more days”.  
Gates smiled. “Okay, here’s my suggestion. Lowered hours and lighter duties for the next two weeks starting from Monday next week, desk duty from then until you reach seven months, and then you will have maternity leave until six months after your child is born”.  
Kate blinked in confusion. “Six months? But, sir…”  
“No buts, Detective. You’ve saved up more than enough vacation days that you can afford to take that much time off. The first six months of a child’s life are absolutely critical to the bond between the child and the parent. And I’m certain that things here won’t fall apart if you take that little bit of extra time for yourself and your family. I will not hear another word about this, do you understand?”  
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir”.  
“You’re welcome. Now go home, Detective. Spend some well-deserved time with your husband and the rest of your family, and I’ll see you and Mr. Castle on Monday”.  
“See you then, sir”.  
Kate stood, smiling, and shook her Captain’s hand before making her way to the door. “Oh, and Detective?”  
Kate turned, glancing back towards the darker-skinned woman behind the desk. “Yes, sir?”  
Captain Gates smiled warmly at her. “Tell Mr. Castle I said hello. And once again, congratulations. I’m sure the two of you are going to make great parents”.  
The detective nodded, smiling warmly back at the Captain. “Thank you, sir. I will let him know. See you on Monday”.  
Kate smiled at the other woman once more before leaving the office and stepping back out into the bullpen, pulling her cellphone from her pocket and keying in her husband’s number automatically. “Castle”  
She smiled at her husband’s voice. “Hey, how’s the writing coming along? Nikki and Rook treating you well?”  
“Actually, I’m just pulling up outside the Precinct right now. I needed a break, and I didn’t know how long you were going to be with Gates, so I figured I’d come up and wait until you got out and maybe we could go get some lunch together”.  
Kate felt a soft smile cross her face. “You know me so well, babe. My meeting with Gates just finished, and I was just starting to think I could do with some food”.  
As if on cue, her stomach grumbled, causing both to laugh. “Yes, and apparently your stomach agrees with you. Is Remy’s for lunch okay?”  
“That sounds absolutely perfect, Rick. Just let me grab my jacket and I’ll be right down. I’ll tell you all about what Gates said while we’re eating”  
“Alright, I’ll see you soon”.  
~Downstairs~  
The detective smiled gently at her husband as he held the car door open for her, and she slid gracefully into the leather chair as he shut the door behind her, walking around the car to get back into the driver’s seat. As he slipped into the seat next to hers, starting the engine, she reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “By the way, Gates asked me to say hi to you for her. And to pass on her congratulations once again for our unborn child”  
“That’s nice of her. I guess she’s really warmed up to me” her husband replied softly, smiling at her.  
Kate nodded, leaning in and pressing her lips to his softly. “And she’s not the only one. Now, feed me”.  
The writer eased the car into first gear, pulling out of the space he had parked in to wait for his wife just a few minutes before. “As you wish”.


End file.
